This invention relates generally to golf ball retrievers and more particularly to an improved golf ball retriever for retrieving golf balls from water hazards and other inaccessible places.
In the past, a number of different devices having long handles have been used to avoid the loss of costly golf balls. These generally have had the disadvantage that it is difficult to engage the ball and often the ball is merely dislodged to another position from which it cannot be recovered.
More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 3,029,097 issued Apr. 10, 1962 to Ward discloses an improved golf ball retriever whereby the ball may be engaged by lowering the device directly over the ball. However, the Ward device has the disadvantage that the ball must be manually removed from the device which involves some difficulty due to the fact that the handle is usually extended to be several feet long. Furthermore, a ball which has been removed from a water hazard is usually in a muddy or dirty condition and it is preferable that it be allowed to rest at a nearly grassy area while the retriever is being placed back in the golfer's bag. The ball may then be picked up and play resumed.